The House System
The school is based on a house system that is divided into six Houses; Founders, Hervey, Oates, Tredgold, George Grey and Chubb, each comprising the full range of year groups. Each house has a housemaster in charge who lives nearby. Each housemaster has a house Tutor and two assistant tutors, as well as other members of staff, who assist in duties.
There is also a system of prefects with six pupils being appointed the Head of House (one for each house). Under the Head of House, there are five or six house prefects, each of whom is in charge of a year group. Senior boys in the house are also required to take over various responsibilities. Each Head of House is automatically a College Prefect and, therefore, also has a role to play supporting the pupil that is appointed as the Head of School.
The Form One to Form Four year groups live in dormitories, overseen by a prefect whose study/bedroom is attached to the dormitory. Boys in the Upper and Lower Sixth live in their own individual study/bedrooms. Forms One to Four are responsible for cleaning their dormitories, making their beds, taking their clothes to the laundry and helping to keep the house and its surrounds clean. The Lower Sixth clean their own studies while the Upper Sixth have fags drawn from Form 2 to assist them.
The house system has a competitive side since houses compete with each other in activities such as singing, drama and sports. The Lower Sixth boys are involved in the organisation of these inter-house competitions, thus assisting the Upper Sixth. This also gives them training in organisation, assuming responsibility and being leaders. All these skills are needed when they become members of the Upper Sixth.
Boys can either go home, or (with parental permission) to friends or relatives on two Fixture Frees which last from break time on a Friday to dinner time on the following Monday. There is a Mid term Exeat which is a day longer. In addition, there are three floating exeats but these must be spent with parents.
(During the bush war, a girls house was included as a security measure during that period for girls of teachers and from the local area.)
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